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Set­tled by Rev­o­lu­tion­ary War sol­diers, this town in Som­er­set County was incor­po­rated on March 7, 1804. In 1821 it annexed land from Hart­land, and later from Brighton in 1838 and 1862. Som­er­set Acad­emy, the early edu­ca­tional insti­tu­tion, now acts as the town office, the Amer­i­can Legion hall, and a Chris­t­ian Fel­low­ship meet­ing place.

Athens is adjoined by Solon, which was incor­po­rated five years later. As Ava Chad­bourne put it, When Athens was incor­po­rated the name of the cap­i­tal of ancient Greece was cho­sen for it by its inhab­i­tants. At the incor­po­ra­tion of Solon, the name selected was that of one of the seven sages of Greece. Some lovers of ancient Greece and its law­givers must have lived in this lit­tle town in Maine. It had a Greek Revival style meet­ing house at one point. The Union Meet­ing­house, not a Greek Revival style, has served the com­mu­nity since 1840.

As have many rural com­mu­ni­ties, Athens has hosted a small agri­cul­tural fair for many years, includ­ing ani­mal pulling con­tests, 4-​H and other exhibits vying for blue rib­bons, and a social gath­er­ing just after har­vest time.

The main vil­lage in the town is north of Skowhe­gan fol­low­ing Route 150 to the junc­tion with state routes 43 and 151. It is located at the fork of the East and West branches of Wesserun­sett Stream, which joins the Ken­nebec River just below Skowhegan.